3 positives & negatives of potential Romeo Lavia transfer

3. Passing

Positives:

Last season, Southampton averaged just 44% of possession per game, with an average of 301 passes completed. Despite this, Lavia still managed to complete over 29 passes per game, showing his composure to play in a disjointed team, and with better players around him, you’d expect this to improve further. His passing range over long distances is particularly impressive.

Negatives:

Thomas Partey is central to everything Arsenal do, and the lone six role in Arteta’s system is incredibly demanding with and without the ball. You must be readily available in the build-up and always switched on defensively. Positionally, Lavia struggles without the ball and he’s too raw at this stage to perform Partey’s role.

There’s no denying Lavia has the qualities needed to take him to the top of the game, but with Partey potentially leaving, the question marks very much lie around his readiness for such a big role at Arsenal.